


We're late... again!

by kroosista



Category: Football RPF
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-01
Updated: 2015-06-01
Packaged: 2018-04-02 07:09:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,894
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4050874
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kroosista/pseuds/kroosista
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>James was late for training. He knew that. The mister was going to be mad and he’ll have to run two extra miles for every 5 minutes of lateness. He looked at the clock: 3:00 pm. He was supposed to be at Valdebebas at 3:15. There was no way he was going to make it in time. He was so screwed!</p>
            </blockquote>





	We're late... again!

**Author's Note:**

  * For [goldandrust](https://archiveofourown.org/users/goldandrust/gifts).



James was late for training. He knew that. The mister was going to be mad and he’ll have to run two extra miles for every 5 minutes of lateness. At least Salomé was with the nanny and he could finally go.

“Are you going to be good to Isabel, _princesa_?” asked James to Salomé before he left for training.

“Yes, daddy!” the little girl wasn’t even interested in him anymore, she had a nail polish and one of Isabel’s hands ready to assault.

“Okay, Isabel, you know what to do…”

“Yes, Mr. Rodriguez, I will call you if anything happens.”

“And I’ll be back by six! Bye, girls!”

A chorus of “byes” could be heard while he closed the door. At least Isabel could come on such short notice. Salomé was a little sick and he couldn’t take her to preschool like that. He looked at the clock: 3:00 pm. He was supposed to be at Valdebebas at 3:15. There was no way he was going to make it in time. He was so screwed!

He got into his car and started to leave La Finca so he could go and explain to Ancelotti why he was late for training today. While passing houses, he saw Toni’s car still there and the German was standing at the door with his little boy. James sighed. He wanted to ask Toni why he was still there. Punctuality was a principle for the blonde. Why was he late?

“Hey, Germany”

“Hi, James… you’re late for training”

“So are you, I may add…”

“Oh, yeah. I think I’m not going to be able to go today.”

“Why? Are you sick?”

“No, I’m fine but my babysitter canceled on me just a few minutes ago and I can’t take Leon to training with me. So, I have to stay here with him”

James looked at the guy. They have a really important game against Celta this weekend and, if they want to have at least a chance, they need Toni. That’s it.

“Hey, I have an idea!”

“No, James, I can’t leave my kid with Benzema. Remember when Cris did it and Junior returned dressed like a rapper and saying bad words in French.” James laughed.

“I was thinking of something different. Salomé couldn’t go to preschool today so I called a sitter. If you want, you can leave Leon at my house with her and you’ll pick him up after training today.”

“Poor girl. I don’t think she’ll be okay taking care of two kids when she signed up for just one”

“Hey, we can try. Isabel is really good with kids and Salomé loves her. Come on. I’ll accompany you and we’ll ask her.”

Toni smiled while James said hi to Leon who smiled and showed him his new toy.

“You’re going to be so late!” said Toni once they reached the front door of James’ house.

“You’re going too. Hey! At least I’m not going to run alone all those miles” James smiled brightly while Toni pushed him aside.

They entered the house and Isabel stopped to see James and Toni come to the kitchen.

“Something wrong, Mr. Rodriguez?”

“Actually, yes. Isabel, I need a huge favor”

“What’s the matter?”

“Well, you see. This is Toni, my friend and this cute little guy is Leon, his son. Their sitter canceled on him just a few minutes ago and he can’t miss training so… we thought…” Toni cleared his throat “I thought that I would ask you if you could babysit him too while we go to training”

“If you can’t, it’s okay. I mean, this is so short notice and you just signed up to take care of one kid…”

“Hello, Leon” said Salomé from the couch were she was currently watching a movie.

“Hi, Salo” Leon flushed bright red while hiding on his dad’s shoulder.

“I don’t think it will be a problem to take care of this sweet little boy. Hi, Leon, I’m Isabel. Do you want some cookies?”

“Cookies?”

“Yeah, I’m making some for Salo and myself. You want to help me?”

Leon nodded while Isabel took his hand and said “Don’t any of you worry; I’ll take care of them”

“Thanks, Isabel. You’re a sweetheart!” James then grabbed Toni’s hand and dragged him outside to his car. “We’re going to be so late!”

“I saw that. Chill, James!” James frowned and started the car “And I’m more than capable to drive, you know?”

“Yes, I know that, Germany. But we must think green and save the ecosystem.” Toni laughed at that “Besides, what’s the point? We live two houses apart and you have to pick up Leon after training!”

“Okay, okay. You win. Let go before it’s too late!”

Toni went into the car and James took off. James, Toni thought, liked to drive fast. _Very fast._ But he wasn’t going to complain when they were more than 20 minutes late for training and Ancelotti was going to make them run from Concha Espina to Catalunya for being late. James turned to the stereo to put on some music but then blushed when _Ras Tas Tas_ came on. Toni laughed.

“What is that?”

“It’s just a song we used to dance every time we scored at the World Cup. It was an inside joke. One of my teammates started it and we just followed his example. I’m sorry; I’m going to change it”

“No, it’s okay. It’s your car after all. No problem”

James smiled and Toni tried to figure out what the words in the song were. It was a lost cause apparently, because he couldn’t put two words together besides the title.

“Hey, Toni?”

“Yes?”

“Are you happy here in Madrid?” at that, Toni looked at him. Even when James wasn’t looking at him, he could feel his interest. “I mean, it was such a change from your life in Germany. You had to leave your brother and your parents there, even Leon’s mom.”

“It was a big change, yeah. But I’m happy here. More than I thought I would be.” James smiled bigger this time and Toni smiled a little bit too “Especially with the language. You should have seen me the first few weeks. I couldn’t even order an espresso! I ended up eating pasta everyday because it was the only word I could recognize!”

James laughed out loud this time. It was a nice sound, Toni thought, maybe he should make him laugh more often.

“Besides, it was time for me to go. I have more friends and good memories at Leverkusen than the ones I have from Munich. I even bought a house in Cologne, which is very close to Leverkusen, and sold the one in Munich.” Toni said and then changed subjects “What about you, Colombian boy? You came all the way here from Monaco…”

“Yeah, but it’s not the same situation as yours”

“Why not?”

“Because, for instance, I can order food. I understand the menu, thank you very much” Toni pinched his arm “Okay! Jokes aside, it is different because I basically left my home at 13. Went to Argentina very young and then to Portugal. Ended up in Monaco last year and now, here I am.”

“You left your home so young?”

“Yeah, it’s the price to pay if you want to be professional in Colombia or basically any South American country. You see it as usual if you are from there.”

“Wow, no wonder you’re so good here”

“You’ll get used to it. You’ll see.”

“I don’t know about that. Some days I just have to call or Skype with my brother because I’m homesick and need to remember something from home. Even when I love Madrid so much, I wish at least my brother was here with me.” Toni looked out of the window and James took the red-light opportunity to pay attention to his face. He looked sad, like remembering everything he left behind when he came to Madrid.

“Hey, don’t be sad. A couple weeks and you can bring your brother here or even go to Germany and spend a few days with him there. You can even eat that cake with a crazy name… what’s it call again?”

“ _Strudel?_ ”

“Yeah, that! How can you even pronounce that?!” Toni laughed now and James was glad he could at least distract him. He didn’t want him to be sad. They were close to Valdebebas now and James started thinking if Ancelotti would bench them for the rest of the season. “Do you think the Mister will leave us on the bench for being late?”

“Um… I don’t know. He’ll probably make us run a lot. And scream _Santa Madonna_ a couple times too. But, I don’t really know”

That didn’t help. James didn’t want to miss any game now that they were chasing Barcelona for La Liga. He knew he could help the team and with all the time he missed because of his injury, he was determined to stay on the field all the time he could.

They arrived at Valdebebas and the security guards at the front looked at them and they smiled shyly while grabbing their stuff and running to the locker rooms to change and go training. As soon as they were there, Luka – who couldn’t train with the rest of them because of his latest injury – looked at them and laughed.

“You two are in so much trouble! Ancelotti was asking for you two a while ago and no one knew where you guys were! He’s mad!”

“Hello, Luka. Thanks for making us even more nervous!” Toni said while he tied his shoes.

“I’m just letting you guys know. For real, you might even run a lot…”

“Luka!” James was really frustrated.

“Just kidding, coffee bean. I’m going to the gym. If you guys have to run or if Carlo’s head explodes because you guys were late, let me know. I want to see that”

Luka then limped as fast as he could out of the locker room to avoid being hit in the head by one of Toni’s shoes. James was looking at the floor while thinking how bad it was going to be.

“Hey, it’s going to be okay, James. You’ll see”

Both of them went to the field where Cristiano and Gareth saw them first and whistled.

“Lovebirds finally arrived!” screamed Gareth while Cristiano put an arm around James’ shoulders.

“Carlo was mad. Why didn’t you guys notice you were going to be late today?”

“We didn’t know! It wasn’t planned…” James tried to explain but then he heard a throat being cleared behind him and he and Toni turned around to see Carlo flanked by Iker and Sergio.

“Good luck” said both Cristiano and Gareth before running away _Traitors,_ James thought.

While Carlo and Iker had a straight face, Sergio was containing his laughter. Toni had a really good time to get to know the second captain while they trained – they were always in the same group for training – and he knew Sergio was enjoying their misery.

“I want a really good explanation why you two are so late. A really good one” Carlo said while James paled a little bit more with each word.

“Well, Mister, you see…” started James but Toni interrupted him.

“It was all my fault, Mister. My babysitter canceled on my just minutes before I left my house and I couldn’t leave my son alone so James offered to talk with his sitter to leave Leon with her. And we lost a lot of time there, and I’m sorry…”

“And why did you two arrive in the same car, may I ask?” Iker asked and Sergio giggled which made Iker looked at him willing him to shut up.

“Toni’s car broke. And I offered him a ride… that’s all”

“Hmm, it seems today was not your day, Kroos” said Carlo and Toni nodded quickly “Too bad I have to make it a little worse. You have to run a mile for each minute you arrived late. Is that clear?”

“But that’s 30 miles…” James protested and Carlo looked at him evenly

“Good. You know how late you were. At the end of training, you’ll have to do it, then. Go with your respective groups!”

Toni looked at James and smiled sadly. _What else can go wrong today?_ Toni thought. He should have known better. In the middle of training a thunderstorm started and Toni looked at the sky asking why. He then looked at the Colombian again and James looked like a lost puppy. A soaked-to-the-bone lost puppy. Toni would have laughed if he wasn’t also sad that he had to run 30 miles under the rain.

As soon as training ended, Toni changed his shoes and started running around the field. James followed suit and Sergio went to stand with Iker at the side of the field.

“Is Carlo actually making them run 30 miles under the rain?” Sergio asked looking at Iker. The captain sighed.

“I don’t really know. I thought he was going to let it slip. I mean, it’s the first time Toni has arrived late. And James too…”

“They’re going to be sick, Iker”

“If this gets worse I’m going to talk with the Mister. We need them this weekend”

They stayed there while the two youngsters kept running. A few laps later James was staying behind and Toni stopped to let him catch up.

“I can’t run this much. I never have run this much” Toni smiled while James looked at him “How can you run this much?!”

“We use to run a lot in Bayern with Jupp, it was common we run like crazy across the field without the ball”

“You Germans are weird!”

Toni laughed and slowed down a little while they kept running. After a while it was Toni who stopped to cough a little bit.

“Are you okay there, Germany?”

“I’m okay. I’m just cold. Really cold”

“You want to stop?”

“We can’t stop. The Mister will be mad at us”

“He’s already mad…”

“No, let’s continue”

James watched as Toni started to run again while coughing continuously. He wasn’t going to let him alone so he went running again.

Sergio and Iker kept watching the duo running and Iker was looking concerned.

“Toni looks miserable, Iker!”

“I know”

“Are we going to do something or what?”

“Sergio, the Mister said…”

“I know what he said, but they’re going to be sick and we’re going to lose badly. Come on, Iker. If there’s someone who can talk with Carlo, it’s you!”

Iker sighed and looked at Sergio. He then nodded and went inside to talk with the coach. He couldn’t stand the thought of _Los chavales_ getting sick because of a stupidity.

Toni had to stop a couple of times to cough and try to wipe his face. He was cold and wanted to stop but James was still running beside him and he wasn’t going to stop just because of a little rain. It was in one of those coughing-stops – as James was cataloging them in his head – that they saw Iker and the Mister coming their way. Toni started to run again – more like jogging, actually – when they heard the Mister.

“Kroos, Rodriguez. You two stop right now” Carlo said while walking behind the guys

“We still have a couple of miles left, Mister. James should go inside so he doesn’t get sick”

“So _I_ don’t get sick?! You’re the one shivering from the cold! Are you kidding me right now?!” James screamed while stopping altogether. “Come on, Germany. Let’s go take a warm shower and go home!”

“But the mister said…”

“And I’m telling you to stop right now, Kroos.” Toni stopped immediately and James sighed. Iker then looked at them and motioned for them to come closer. “You obeyed my orders and I’m happy you did. Now, go take a shower, get dry clothes and go home with your kids. Okay?”

Both of them nodded and started the path to the locker room with Iker, who was still watching them like a dad watching his kids. Toni looked at his captain and smiled.

“Thanks, Iker”

“Why are you thanking me?”

“Because we know you talked with the Mister. So, thank you. I thought I was going to be a frozen German on a Spanish football field” Toni said and Iker laughed while passing an arm around each of their shoulders.

“I couldn’t stand the fact that you two were being miserable out there. Sergio either. So, we put an end to it. You don’t have to thank me. Just be sure that you drink something warm at home so you don’t get sick. Okay?”

“Yes dad!” Both of them said, making Iker laugh again.

“Go, _chavales_!”

They took their time at the shower. They were cold and the water was warm so, basically, they didn’t want to leave the shower. But they knew they had to go home and let Isabel go home too.

Toni was the first to finish getting dressed and waited for James at the front door. The Colombian came out just a few minutes later and saw Toni with his arm around him trying to get warm.

“You don’t have a sweater, Germany?”

“We’re supposed to be in a nice weather time. Why should I pack a sweater?”

“So you don’t have to hug yourself to get warm?” asked James while raising an eyebrow. Toni frowned.

“Let’s just go. I need to see Leon and take him home before this storm gets worse”

James opened his car and they both went inside to start the journey back home. Toni was still with his arm around his body trying to get warm.

“There’s a jacket in the backseat if you want. You look miserable”

“I don’t like the cold.”

“Then how did you live in Germany for so long?”

“I have a house in Mallorca” James looked at him “I came to Mallorca every winter. I’m telling you. I don’t like the cold weather”

James shook his head while laughing softly. Toni could be so weird sometimes. They were quiet while listening to the radio. Toni grabbed James’ jacket and tried to get warm and at some point fell asleep. James could actually appreciate Toni’s face then. He looked so peaceful while he slept it was kind of shocking seeing how passionate and fierce he could be on the field. With the storm, the roads were deserted so they arrived sooner than expected at La Finca and James went straight to his place and shook Toni awake.

“Hey, Germany. We’re here. Let’s see the kids”

Toni nodded while getting out of the car. James went inside first, making sure Toni was awake enough to not fall face first to the floor.

“Hey, Isabel? We’re here!”

“Hey, Mr. Rodriguez. Hi, Mr. Toni. The kids are sleeping right now”

“Sleeping?” asked Toni while putting James’ jacket closer to his body.

“Yes, we played some games with them and then Salo said she was tired. Leon didn’t want to be alone and went with her. They are both in Salo’s room if you want to check on them” Isabel smiled while packing a batch of cookies and putting them in the fridge.

“That’s awesome. Thanks for taking care of them, Isabel. You’re an angel. If you want, you can head home so you don’t get stuck in this storm”

“Thank you, Mr. Rodriguez. I will. See you soon, and say bye to Leon and Salo when they wake up. Bye, Mr. Toni” Isabel gave them both a hug and went home quickly.

“I better go take Leon home before the weather gets worst” said Toni and James sighed. He didn’t want Toni to leave.

James led them to Salo’s room where they found the pair asleep with Salo’s hand on Leon’s. They were so cute that they had to smile.

“Do you really want to wake them up? Because if you take Leon, Salomé will throw a fit. Please, Toni”

“I can’t leave him here and go home all by myself. Are you crazy?”

“Then stay. I have Chinese food in the kitchen ready to go in the microwave and some coffee”

“You had to say coffee, didn’t you?” James laughed softly “You had me at Chinese but you convinced me with the coffee”

They went to the kitchen and James prepared everything for the improvised dinner. Toni watched him for the kitchen island with a smile on his face. What was he doing here? He said he was going home and James made him stay. He had to be the craziest guy on the planet.

“There you go.” James put a plate and a mug full of coffee in front of him with a smile

“This better be Colombian coffee or I’m out of here!”

James laughed loudly while taking a bite of his food. He then clapped his hands together and smiled at Toni.

“I know, let’s go watch the Champions League finale of last year!” James went around with his plate in his hand “I have it on my TiVo somewhere. We can watch it!” he then stopped and looked at Toni “Only if you want, of course”

Toni smiled at the younger one “Sure, why not?”

James beamed again and went to set up the TV. They got comfortable on the couch while watching the game. The storm outside was getting worse with each second and James knew he made the right decision when he asked Toni to stay. When Sergio was going to score on TV, the lights went out and James let a sound of discontent while Toni was laughing loudly.

“Don’t laugh, Germany! What the hell?! It was the best moment of the freaking game!”

“Oh, I don’t know, maybe now Sergio won’t score because of the blackout and Madrid won’t get _La Decima_ ”

“Ha ha, very funny Germany”

James kept watching the way Toni laughed and at one point they were face to face. How it happened? He doesn’t know. He just know that as soon as their lips brushed against each other that he was gone. Toni didn’t stop him so he just kept going. It was a soft kiss, like they thought that, if they move too much the fantasy would be over. When a thunder broke outside, Toni broke the kiss. James then looked mortified.

“I’m sorry. I don’t know why I did it…”

“Am I complaining?” James looked at him “Just shut up and kiss me, coffee bean”

James didn’t wait this time. They had the opportunity to try different options. The soft kiss, the barely-there kiss, the kiss that leave you breathless. At the end, the Colombian looked at the blonde one with a smile on his face.

“Are you still cold?”

“Cold? What’s that? I can’t remember!” James laughed and hid his face on the German’s shoulder. “I’m comfortable as I’ve never been!”

“Good, because I want you here. Comfy as ever”

They fell asleep with the sounds of the rain. And the next morning when Salo and Leon woke them up – the kids were still holding hands – they went to the kitchen to make them breakfast. The first of many they would share. Together.

**Author's Note:**

> So, this was a prompt send by the lovely goldandrust to my Tumblr account (http://kroos8shipper.tumblr.com) which I gladly took and wrote.  
> Btw, I know a lot of Real's training sessions are in the mornings but this worked better for the story.  
> I changed a few things along the way because I tried to make it flow with the story, I still hope you like it!  
> Let me know if I should keep writing stuff like this and any prompt you want me to try writing, leave it on my tumblr account!  
> See ya soon!


End file.
